


i think i have ended up where i intended to be

by ReapersAngel



Series: it's our journey [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Black & White | Pokemon Black and White Versions
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, An essential part of their relationship, And lip kissing, And the protagonist/Touya is 14, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Can you tell I have an obsession with star pieces and comet shards, Chargestone Cave (Pokemon), Disclaimer: Credits to Nintendo and Gamefreak and Pokemon, Dragonspiral Tower (Pokemon), Driftveil City (Pokemon), Driftveil Market (Pokemon), Ferris Wheels, Gentle Kissing, How Do I Tag, I love N, I'm Bad At Tagging, Icirrus City (Pokemon), Isshu-chihou | Unova Region (Pokemon), IsshuShipping - Freeform, Kissing, Legendary Pokemon, M/M, Marked Underage Because Technically..., Menger Sponge, Mistralton City (Pokemon), N is roughly 18-20, Neck Kissing, Nimbasa City (Pokemon), Pokemon, SO, The Dreamyard (Pokemon), Touya's Pokemon are unspecified, Twist Mountain (Pokemon)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:07:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28185846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReapersAngel/pseuds/ReapersAngel
Summary: Touya asks N to accompany him on his journey across Unova. Along the way, they gain a friend, awaken a legendary Pokémon, and somehow...     end up a fugitive, a kidnapee, an overpowered Pokémon, and an oversized black dragon. But they're happy, and that's all that matters.(Intended lowercaps title)Edited December 28, 2020
Relationships: Cheren & Touya | Hilbert, Isshushipping, N | Natural Harmonia Gropius & Touya | Hilbert, N | Natural Harmonia Gropius & Touya | Hilbert & Chillarmy | Minccino, N | Natural Harmonia Gropius/Touya | Hilbert
Series: it's our journey [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2077227
Comments: 4
Kudos: 36





	i think i have ended up where i intended to be

**Author's Note:**

> I actually had the vaguest idea of what I was going to do (Touya asks N to join him - even if temporarily - to change his views on trainers) when I set out to do this, and it just sort of... spiraled from there. And yes, I did decide to use 'Touya' instead of 'Black' or 'Hilbert'. Seriously, who names their kid HILBERT. No offense if your name is Hilbert.
> 
> Anyways, some notes (more at the end, to prevent spoilers):  
> \- Touya Headcanons:  
> \- usually quiet, near silent/mute mostly  
> \- otherwise this close to becoming a nervous wreck  
> \- stutters/nervous  
> \- on rare occasions (standing up for himself/Pokémon/his friends, etc.) when he talks, no one can look away  
> \- grows more confident and casual with his speech the more comfortable he is with that person(s)  
> \- Touya's hands itching is one of his nervous ticks  
> \- N doesn't like sleeping in the wilderness ("It's intruding on the Pokémon!") but doesn't really like the Pokémon Centers either ("It's just too..." "Artificial?" "...yes.") so they compromise by sleeping in Touya's tent at the edge of the city  
> \- Their longest (and probably most in-depth) conversation was/is with the motorcyclists who does Rotation/Triple Battles in Driftveil, and both N and Touya can really tell that he genuinely loves his Pokémon and that they love him back)  
> \- N is 18-20 and Touya/the protag is 14, sooooooooooooooooooooo...
> 
> Also, like, their ship name is literally 'Unovashipping'. The. Most. ACCURATE. Thing.

“Come on!” N says, pulling his wrist. Touya frowns at him. “We can ride the ferris wheel together!” His smile is blinding, and Touya lets a small one of his own surface on his face, letting N excitedly lead him to the humongous spinning mass of metal.

He watches as N gives the cashier their tickets, and briefly wonders if he’d bought them beforehand. He’s pulled into the Pokéball car and listens as N excitedly prattles on about the mechanics of ferris wheels, about how _really, Touya, it’s really such an elegant formula_. The bright lights of Nimbasa recede below them as they slowly swing to the top, but Touya watches N, thinking about the times they’ve met.

“Come with me,” He blurts out. N breaks out mid-ramble, fingers stilling on his keychain - _Menger sponge_ , Touya remembers a past N telling him - and stares wide-eyed at him. He blushes.

“Th-that’s not-” He stutters, “I didn’t mean to say that.”

“Oh.” N deflates, a little bit, and Touya would say he looks like a tea green puppy. He backpedals quickly.

“What I meant to say was..” He pulls his thoughts back together. “Would you like to travel with me?”

“Travel with you?” N says. He seems bewildered.

“Well, um…” Touya hesitates. “You said you want to free Pokémon, because trainers are bad, right?” N gives a hum at that. “Well, if you come with me, we can at least go on to Driftveil City together, since I think we’re both going in the same direction.” N hums again. “And we can talk to the trainers and the Pokémon - well, I can talk to the trainers, you can talk to the Pokémon - we meet, and then you can decide if all trainers are bad or not.”

N hums again, but this time it’s thoughtful, his brow furrowed. “Let me think about it?” He offers, “You’re leaving Nimbasa tomorrow, yes? Wait for me at the entrance to Route 5, and you’ll have your answer.”

“Okay,” Touya says. They both jolt when their car stops; he hadn’t even realized that they’d already spun a full revolution. They both exit the car and walk through the festival together, N absently playing with his pendant and not taking his eyes off of Touya until they reach the Pokémon Center.

“Tomorrow, yes?” He says. Touya nods, and they part just like that - quietly, N drifting away and becoming swallowed by the sights and sounds of Nimbasa; Touya, watching him go. When N finally disappears, he turns and heads into the Pokémon Center for the night.

* * *

Touya exits Nimbasa City and finds N already waiting for him, leaning against a tree and chatting with a Minccino. It nearly flees when it notices him, but a few soothing words from N calm it down. “He’s my friend,” He hears N say.

Touya’s hands suddenly itch, and nervously he thinks, _Will it be a yes or no?_

“Touya!” N pushes off from the tree, and the Minccino hangs onto his shoulder, shyly peeking out from his hair. “I’ve decided! I’m going to come with you!” When Touya comes up by his side, he murmurs, “There’s so many trainers here.”

“I don’t have to battle them, if you don’t want,” Touya murmurs back. “We can just talk.” N smiles at him, Minccino’s fluffy ears and big, almond-shaped eyes staring at him, when he hears his name being called.

“Touya!” Cheren pants, from where he’s stopped in front of Touya. N scoots behind him, and the Minccino squeaks and Touya thinks it’ll take refuge in N’s hair until it dives into his hood. He startles, and N tentatively takes his hand. He hopes his ears aren’t growing red.

Cheren frowns, but he doesn’t say anything about it. “Those two-” He points to two preschoolers, shooting excited looks at them, “-wanted to battle, and when I saw you I thought-”

“He isn’t battling,” N pipes up, darting a defiant look over Touya’s shoulder.

Cheren’s eyes narrow behind his glasses. “You don’t speak for him.”

N just glares at him. Touya squeezes his hand and clears his throat, and they both turn to look at him. Even Minccino in his hood stops shivering.

“I’m not battling,” He says.

“Not battling?” Cheren echoes incredulously.

“Not battling,” N repeats firmly. Minccino decides to add its two cents in via a squeak. In the background, the preschoolers - having felt they weren’t going to get a battle - release their Pokémon and start to play with them. Touya knows N’s eyes have flicked over to the scene.

“Is it because of him?” Cheren says accusingly, jabbing a finger at N. N shrinks and reels back, and suddenly Touya’s hand is being squeezed in a death grip.

“No,” He says, “I made the decision on my own.”

Cheren’s eyes narrow even more, but he just intones “You’ve changed” before doing the Cheren equivalent of storming off in a huff. N’s grip loosens, his thumb brushing the back of Touya’s hand in apology as street debris and dust fly up in Cheren’s wake. Minccino makes a distressed noise and bounds down, wiping Touya’s shows with its tail.

Immediately he squats down, almost pulling an unsuspecting N down with him. “Oh no, don’t do that,” He mumbles, hands ineffectually fluttering about, “You’ll get your tail dirty.” The Minccino, glaring at him, holds eye contact as it very deliberately sweeps its tail over his shoes.

“Your friend’s right, you know,” N says. Both Touya and Minccino stop and stare up at him.

“What?” He says.

“You’ve changed.” N looks at him, slightly sheepish and acting like he can duck and hide under his hat. “At least, you have since I’ve met you. You don’t feel like other trainers.” At Touya’s confused look, he elaborates. “Trainers… they feel like energy. Like an Energy Ball.” He cups his hands together, and Touya thinks, _How in the world has N ever held an Energy Ball?_ “But you… you feel like the eye of the storm.” He twists his hands, then throws them outwards. Touya cocks his head thoughtfully - it’s an odd comparison, but he gets what N means.

Minccino chirps impatiently, and they both start. Touya gathers the little Pokémon into his arms on some unspoken agreement, and they head towards the drawbridge.

* * *

It’s a few days later when Touya exits the Pokémon Center, going off to search for N in Driftveil’s market. They both silently know that Touya had walked out of the gym with one more badge in the case in his pocket, but outwardly they say nothing.

“Has everything been all right?” Touya says when he finally finds N. He’s playing with a Lillipup who’s been darting under and between tables and stalls, and Minccino, who’s somehow decided to adopt both N and Touya as its humans, purrs happily at his arrival. It leaps from its perch clinging to N‘s hat and into his arms, smelling of N’s tea scent and of the Sitrus berry juice staining its mouth. Touya carefully wipes it away.

N nods, and someone calls out from another part of the marker. The Lillipup barks out a yip and dashes towards the voice. Touya holds out a hand, and N smiles gratefully at him before taking it and pulling himself up, dusting off his pants.

“Are you ready to go?” He asks. N nods again, and they make their way out of Driftveil - waving to the motorcyclist they’d met the other day - and head to Route 6.

“Hey you, Touya!”

Touya jumps and N looks worriedly at him before they both turn around. Clay’s running at them, waving his hand in the air. “Hold up!”

Touya cocks his head at clay, who stops in front of him. “Wanted to ask a favour of ya,” He says. Touya nods for him to go ahead.

“Buncha thugs escaped during our battle,” Clay continues gruffly, “Team Plasma, you heard of ‘em?” Besides Touya, N stiffens, and he reaches over to gently take his hand. “Betcha have. Most of ‘em went over the drawbridge; Elesa’s got ‘em covered. But some of ‘em went down into the Cold Storage, just south of here. Was wonderin’ if you’d lend a hand in takin’ ‘em in.”

“No,” N says before Touya can answer, “Touya’s not equipped for the cold! He could catch hypothermia!” Minccino bristles in agreement. “Did you know-”

Clay stares dubiously at N, who’s rattling off facts at an inhuman speed. Touya shrugs at him; he’s used to it. “Well, if that’s your only problem,” He says, “Follow me.”

Clay shows them where they can buy winter clothing and leaves them to it. After thirty minutes of N heaping practically the entire store on top of him and Touya carefully selecting the ones they need and putting the rest back, they leave with their purchases. Some of the clothes are for N, who insisted on coming, and there’s even some blankets for Minccino, who’s also insisted on coming.

N’s lips press into a thin, tight line as they near the Cold Storage, and Touya squeezes his hand reassuringly. N squeezes back as they pick their way through the grass.

Unsurprisingly, “The gym leader sent us here” is a better excuse than “He’s not a trainer, and I’m not battling”. The two youngsters they meet excitedly brag about their Pokémon, who puff up at the attention and chatter on at N. The workers inside the Cold Storage are friendly enough, and their Pokémon are too. Finally, they reach the end of the warehouse, where a group of Plasma grunts crowd around… something. Or some _one_. 

“Ah, so you’ve found us,” A voice says. The grunts part in waves to reveal Zinzolin, one of the Seven Sages. His eyes widen, and N’s hands settle in a tight grip on Touya’s shoulders. Minccino peeks up from its nest of blankets in his hood. “Lor-”

“Touya!” Cheren skids to a stop besides him and N, frost already forming on his glasses and creeping up his jacket. Touya frowns - _Why didn’t he get proper clothes?_ N’s hands tighten even further.

“All right, let’s take them down!” Touya frowns even more. Does Cheren not remember that he’s not battling? “Tranquil, come-”

Zinzolin stops him by holding up a hand. “We will come with you in peace.”

Cheren stares at them in confusion. “You… will?”

Zinzolin nods and spreads his arms. “I will not allow Pokémon to be harmed for our sake.”

Cheren slowly puts Tranquil’s Pokéball away, still confused when Clay and a group of workers appear to lead Zinzolin and the grunts awak. He leaves with them muttering under his breath.

N deflates when they’re finally alone. His hands fall off and over Touya’s shoulders, his head drooping and settling on Touya’s. Touya frowns when he sees that N’s hands are ungloved. They leave the Cold Storage quickly.

“...I want to tell you something, Touya,” N says quietly as they make their way to Route 6.

“Okay,” Touya says. N opens his mouth, but they’re interrupted, again, by Clay.

“Hey,” He says gruffly, “Just wanted to give these to ya as thanks.” He hands both of them a star piece and gives Minccino a miniature hoard of berries. They can barely thank him before he’s already turned and heading back to the gym.

Touya turns to N. “What did you want to tell me?” He asks gently.

N stares off into the distance, fiddling with his star piece before making a fist around it. “...nothing,” He says after a while, and Touya doesn’t push as they leave Driftveil.

* * *

They get through Route 6 and Chargestone Cave with relative ease, despite both of them being absolutely hopeless with directions. After some talking with N the wild Pokémon are happy to help. N rambles on about the unique magnetic fields in the cave, and it prompts a warm, fluttery feeling in his chest that Touya doesn’t exactly want to dissect yet.

After Mistralton City, they take a detour to Celestial Tower to pay their respects, then move on. Twist Mountain is worse than Chargestone Cave, even with the aid of the local Pokémon, and for a few - hours? Days? - they’re helplessly stuck until Minccino, geniusly, finds the way out.

N tugs on his sleeve, pulling Touya out of his head. “Let’s go to Dragonspiral Tower,” He says.

Touya nods. N had stubbornly accompanied him into Icirrus City’s gym and had clung to Touya throughout the whole thing, wincing along with every attack. Afterwards, he’d had a long, slightly frantic conversation with both Touya’s and Brycen’s Pokémon. He figures it’s the least he can do.

Once they reach the tower, both their eyes widen. There’s a huge, gaping hole in the side of the wall, and N hurriedly asks some of the nearby water Pokémon to lend a hand in helping them cross. They rush up the stairs, and though Touya thinks he can hear footsteps above them, there’s never anyone there when they reach the next floor. They finally reach the top of Dragonspiral Tower, nothing above them but the sky. It’s empty except for a single stone pedestal holding a round, black stone.

It starts drizzling a light rain when N steps towards the pedestal. Touya grasps his sleeve. “It could be dangerous,” He says worriedly.

N smiles at him. “Don’t worry,” He says simply. Touya looks at him, unconvinced, but lets him go. Minccino scampers down from his hood into his arms, huddling there as they both stare worriedly after N. The rain comes down harder, and Touya thinks he can hear thunder. There’s a strange, underlying hum in the air.

Lightning strikes, too close for comfort. Minccino squeaks, pressing itself against Touya. He wants nothing more than to call N back and leave.

Thunder rumbles, and lightning strikes again, this time- Touya shouts, heart in his mouth, throat raw - maybe it’s the rain streaking down his face, maybe it’s because he’s never been this loud before - because this time, the lightning hits N straight on. Touya tries to race forward, but something keeps - no, _forces_ \- him back.

When the brightness clears, N is standing in front of a living legend. Touya stares with some unnamable feeling churning in his stomach as Zekrom roars, wings flaring and turbines rushing blue. He thinks Minccino might want to merge with whatever is being protected inside his ribs.

“Touya!” N runs at him and picks him up, spinning him in the air before enveloping him a crushing hug, laughing. Minccino squeaks in surprise between them. “I did it!”

“You-” Touya sends another look at Zekrom. “You did this?”

“Yes!” N clasps his hands, eyes sparkling. “I have a dream- no, an _ideal_ . I want to set free all the Pokémon who want to be free. The abused ones, the injured ones, the abandoned ones, the ones who hate their trainers - the ones with _bad_ trainers.” His gaze hardens. “Once, I wanted all Pokémon to be free, because I thought all trainers were bad. But -” He smiles, eye softening, “Then I met you. And you’ve _changed_ me, Touya. I know now that some Pokémon _want_ to stay with their trainers, because they like them - even love them. That’s why I want you to come with me.”

“Come with you?” Touya echoes.

“Yes, come with me.” He’s never heard N sound or seen him look this passionate before, except maybe when he spews out his math and formulas, or when he talks about Pokémon. “You showed me your truth. Now, I…” N smiles, suddenly shy. “I want to show you my ideal.”

Touya is just about to answer when Zekrom roars; on some unexplainable urge, they both turn around.

At the edge of the stairs, three people skid to a halt - Cheren, Brycen, and- Alder. Touya doesn’t know if he’s surprised anymore. They balk and stare at Zekrom, then Cheren catches sight of them.

“Touya!” He shouts. He glares at N, hostility palpable even from a distance. “Get away from him!” He throws a Pokéball, and his Liepard growls as soon as stone is under its paws.

“Touya,” N begins, but before he can say or do anything more Minccino leaps down from his arms and throws an Attract at Liepard. Touya and Cheren stare, dumbfounded, as it - _she_ , he corrects dazedly, since the Attract definitely worked - follows up with Hyper Voice. Cheren snaps out of it first and orders Liepard to use Fake Out. The attack misses as Minccino slips away and swings an Iron Tail into Liepard’s side, finishing it off with Last Resort. Liepard wobbles and faints, Cheren recalling him back to his Pokéball while Minccino runs back to them, puffing up proudly when N pats her.

“I didn’t know Minccino could learn Attract” is the first thing that comes out of Touya’s mouth. He didn’t learn so much about Pokémon for nothing, and he’s rewarded with N’s sheepish smile, the usual duck-and-hide-behind-the-hat movement that accompanies it, and a flash of a small white disk in a clear cartridge before it disappears back into his pocket.

“A girl in Castelia gave it to me” is all he says, and despite everything that’s happening it makes something burn in Touya’s gut.

“A Minccino shouldn’t possibly be _that_ strong!” Cheren shouts. Minccino sticks her tongue out at him.

“Why _is_ she so strong?” Touya asks, scooping her up. She falls into a giddy, purring mess.

N scratches the back of his neck. “She wanted to have an adventure and get stronger while you were battling in Driftveil and Mistralton,” He says. “I think she was inspired.”

Minccino squeaks happily and nods her head. Touya looks down at her. “That must have been a lot of adventuring,” He says mildly. She squeaks again.

The questionable peace is broken when four Team Plasma grunts pound up the stairs, panting. “I’m sorry, Lord N,” One shouts over the rain, “We couldn’t stop them!”

Everyone but Touya, Minccino, and Zekrom turn to stare at N. “Um,” He says eloquently.

Immediately Cheren, Brycen, and Alder have their Pokéballs at the ready. “I knew it,” Cheren says venomously, just loud enough to be heard. He returns to shouting. “Get away from him! Touya, get over here!”

“Um,” Touya says, just as eloquently. He and N look at each other.

“Are you afraid of flying?” N asks awkwardly.

“Guess we’re about to find out,” Touya says. N lights up and a grin spreads across his face, and involuntarily a matching one forms across his own face. He can feel the tension leak out of both their frames as the telltale sounds of Pokémon being released erupt behind them. N pulls Touya by the waist towards Zekrom, and Minccino fires off a final Hyper Voice behind them as N helps him up onto Zekrom. They burst off Dragonspiral Tower and into the air.

Despite their strange situation, the fact that everyone probably now has N marked as the ‘lord’ of Team Plasma and as a fugitive and Touya as a kidnapee, the fact that they’re completely soaked to the bone, the fact that they’re who-knows-how-high in the air, and Minccino happily but noisily chomping down on a Sitrus berry, the small, sweet kiss N shyly steals from him leaves Touya blushing and feeling like he might explode from the warmth in his chest.

* * *

“I suppose I should tell you now,” N says sheepishly. His long legs dangle over the edge of the jagged, mossy concrete. Touya leans into his side, looking up at N through his bangs, content but curious. Minccino is curled up, halfway in both their laps, sleeping.

After what had happened at Dragonspiral Tower, they’d landed in the Dreamyard. It was deserted enough, and not many people visited it. Cities wouldn’t be an option, and nor would anywhere on the Routes. Briefly they’d considered ducking into Chargestone Cave until they ran into the problem of realizing that Zekrom wouldn’t fit. Touya had worried about Zekrom’s perpetual storm, but N had assured him that it would fade. It had, and now it’s nice and sunny.

“What is it?” He murmurs.

“Well, ah…” N plays with his pendant in his hands. “I’m the King of Team Plasma.”

“Hmm,” Touya hums. “Is that what you wanted to tell me in Driftveil?” He adds, “I don’t think anything can surprise me anymore.”

Really?” N says, a glint in his eyes. Touya giggles as he launches himself at him, Minccino spilling off their laps with an indignant squeak. They tumble and roll together, laughing as their hats fall off and their clothes grow dirty. They slow to a stop, panting, and Touya’s not sure if he’s ever seen this particular kind of happiness on N. He likes it; it makes him glow.

N smiles tenderly, gently at him and leans down to pepper his face with chaste kisses, making him snort at how it tickles. Somehow N’s ponytail has come undone. His hair falls in a messy, tea-coloured curtain around them, and pools and fans around N when Touya flips their positions. He bends down to attack N’s neck with the same chaste kisses he’d been on the receiving end of just moments before. He squeaks when N pulls him down fully.

They don’t move from that spot for a while.

**Author's Note:**

> No, they did not have sex. Sorry to crash and burn your dreams and fantasies. But they were definitely intimate for a while.
> 
> The rest of the notes:  
> \- Despite this being canon divergence I tried to adhere to the game-verse (Black, specifically) canon as much as possible. For example, Cheren actually has a Liepard and Tranquil, and Attract from Minccino would have actually worked on his Liepard because they're opposite genders. For which reason I didn't specifify Touya's Pokémon. Also, it makes more sense for me for N to have Zekrom, because he's fighting for the ideal world, and for the protagonist to have Reshiram, because they're fighting to protect the world as it is now. I play Black, I'm biased, I know.  
> \- Minccino got a gender as soon as I figured out her moveset, and the closest approximation of her name in anything a human can comprehend is Sasha (And while Touya is DEFINITELY not one to assume gender, he doesn't really like using 'it' because it makes whoever sound like an object??? But he thinks that 'they' isn't really much better, because it's a bit too plural for him)  
> = She learned Attract by stealing the TM when N was in the shower or something  
> \- Touya and N's favourite position (I know what you're thinking, but get your head out of the gutter) is N right behind Touya, his head on his and his arms slung over Touy'a shoulders. Touya likes pulling his arms down further so he can hold N's hands in his and play with his fingers. Minccino is either on N's shoudlers, in Touya's arms, or on N's head/hat. It gets hard to walk sometimes, but they make it work.  
> \- The title is part of a quote by Douglas Adams. Considering N leaving Unova to soulsearch or whatever he called it and Touya going after him, well...  
> \- Lies. N also looks that passionate and beyond when he looks at Touya, but Touya NEVER. SEES. IT. ( _He’s never heard N sound or seen him look this passionate before, except maybe when he spews out his math and formulas, or when he talks about Pokémon. _)__
> 
> _  
> _There's probably more stuff I need to say. I'll think of it later._  
>  _
> 
> _  
> _Comments and kudos appreciated!_  
>  _


End file.
